David Cameron tells Pakistan to fight terrorists we created as he strikes nuclear deal

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Prime Minister David Cameron flaunts his ignorance of history. Again. He's only been in the job for a matter of weeks and already is proving himself as gaffe-prone as BP's Tony Harwood.

He's said he would take on China in a nuclear bust-up, stated that Britain played second fiddle to the US in 1940, and now he tells Pakistan it isn't doing enough to combat terrorism:

"To be fair to the Pakistan government, they have made progress in chasing down militants and terrorists in Pakistan that threaten their own country and threaten others. But we need them to do more and we should work with them to do more because as I said yesterday, it's not acceptable to have those within Pakistan who are supporting terrorist groups that can do so much damage to their own country and to British people whether in Afghanistan or back home in Britain."

In India to sell military hardware, Cameron has insulted poor beleaguered Pakistan by tellling them to get their finger out. Considering it was the CIA who trained up Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda forces in the early 1980s during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and then left the region with the problem once the USSR was defeated, it's a stunning bit of hypocrisy for us to be blaming them.

What started as Taliban resistance to the US has now gone national as the Pashtun people have been radicalised by indiscriminate killings. By October 2009, the US had killed 14 Al Qaeda but 700 civilians. That is not a ratio designed to win hearts and minds.

It's us who have brought the Afghanistan war to Pakistan.

As ex-cricketer and former Indian MP Imran Khan said last year:

" ... it’s just a blatant lie. How can they say that Pakistan has to be stabilized and then Afghanistan will become [stable]. Surely, stability in Afghanistan will stabilize Pakistan. In fact, a CIA ex-station chief of Kabul, Graham Fuller, actually wrote in the International Herald Tribune that unless and until NATO leaves Afghanistan, Pakistan is going to descend into radicalization and chaos which is absolutely right, because we had no Taliban in Pakistan."

While Cameron drones on, Imran Khan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to declare the use of drones in his home land illegal.

In his petition, Khan asked the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional all acts that take away the fundamental rights of citizens, the provision of facilities and logistics to any foreign country, any alliance for mass destruction due to drone attacks inside Pakistani territory. Such acts should also be declared a violation of the United Nations charter, the universal declaration on human rights, international laws and international humanitarian laws. Khan said the respondents should be directed to lodge complaints against the killings of innocent Pakistanis, destruction of their properties and displacement from their homes at appropriate international forums. He also asked the court to direct the respondents to take all preventive measures against the drone attacks to protect the life, liberty, dignity, property and other fundamental rights of citizens.

Back in India, Cameron has just done a nuclear deal worth billions with his hosts. I wonder how his arms shares portfolio is doing.

David Cameron tells Pakistan to fight terrorists we created as he strikes nuclear deal

Getty Images
Prime Minister David Cameron flaunts his ignorance of history. Again. He's only been in the job for a matter of weeks and already is proving himself as gaffe-prone as BP's Tony Harwood.

He's said he would take on China in a nuclear bust-up, stated that Britain played second fiddle to the US in 1940, and now he tells Pakistan it isn't doing enough to combat terrorism:

"To be fair to the Pakistan government, they have made progress in chasing down militants and terrorists in Pakistan that threaten their own country and threaten others. But we need them to do more and we should work with them to do more because as I said yesterday, it's not acceptable to have those within Pakistan who are supporting terrorist groups that can do so much damage to their own country and to British people whether in Afghanistan or back home in Britain."

In India to sell military hardware, Cameron has insulted poor beleaguered Pakistan by tellling them to get their finger out. Considering it was the CIA who trained up Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda forces in the early 1980s during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and then left the region with the problem once the USSR was defeated, it's a stunning bit of hypocrisy for us to be blaming them.

What started as Taliban resistance to the US has now gone national as the Pashtun people have been radicalised by indiscriminate killings. By October 2009, the US had killed 14 Al Qaeda but 700 civilians. That is not a ratio designed to win hearts and minds.

It's us who have brought the Afghanistan war to Pakistan.

As ex-cricketer and former Indian MP Imran Khan said last year:

" ... it’s just a blatant lie. How can they say that Pakistan has to be stabilized and then Afghanistan will become [stable]. Surely, stability in Afghanistan will stabilize Pakistan. In fact, a CIA ex-station chief of Kabul, Graham Fuller, actually wrote in the International Herald Tribune that unless and until NATO leaves Afghanistan, Pakistan is going to descend into radicalization and chaos which is absolutely right, because we had no Taliban in Pakistan."

While Cameron drones on, Imran Khan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to declare the use of drones in his home land illegal.

In his petition, Khan asked the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional all acts that take away the fundamental rights of citizens, the provision of facilities and logistics to any foreign country, any alliance for mass destruction due to drone attacks inside Pakistani territory. Such acts should also be declared a violation of the United Nations charter, the universal declaration on human rights, international laws and international humanitarian laws. Khan said the respondents should be directed to lodge complaints against the killings of innocent Pakistanis, destruction of their properties and displacement from their homes at appropriate international forums. He also asked the court to direct the respondents to take all preventive measures against the drone attacks to protect the life, liberty, dignity, property and other fundamental rights of citizens.

Back in India, Cameron has just done a nuclear deal worth billions with his hosts. I wonder how his arms shares portfolio is doing.

Police Support the Troops badges: bring them home or support the war?

With the news that Metropolitan police are to be allowed to wear Union flag badges supporting British troops currently on action in Afghanistan, I was surprised to hear Eddie Mair on yesterday's BBC Radio 4's PM programme taking a hostile stance towards Stop The War's spokesperson, Chris Nineham.

Chris did a stolid job if a bit spluttery and tiresomely "Um" laden (brother of Bin) when taken by surprise by Mair's interview which consisted of "Who says!", cutting off his sentences, and ignoring his points of logic. I was baffled by the utter denial that "Support The Troops" is read by most people to mean support for the war.

Indeed, what does happen when police wear their opposing politics on their lapels at anti-war demonstration, perhaps in place of their ID numbers which some of them are so fond of leaving off? Wearing these "Support The Troops" badges, according to the police spokesman in terms reminiscent of something out of Kipling, does not compromise their independence, neither do previous badges supporting RUC widows and orphans, or the union flag itself which is "the symbol of our country". Some might question exactly who in this country the Union Jack represents: the policeman seemed to think it meant Her Majesty and all who sail in her.

Wrong-footed by Mair, I wish Chris had stuck to his strongest point which he only seemed to stumble across in the course of the interview: Fine, if the key issue is support for the troops and not the war, then will police on duty be allowed to support the troops by wearing Troops Out badges calling for our boys and girls to be brought back home to safety?

Police Support the Troops badges: bring them home or support the war?

With the news that Metropolitan police are to be allowed to wear Union flag badges supporting British troops currently on action in Afghanistan, I was surprised to hear Eddie Mair on yesterday's BBC Radio 4's PM programme taking a hostile stance towards Stop The War's spokesperson, Chris Nineham.

Chris did a stolid job if a bit spluttery and tiresomely "Um" laden (brother of Bin) when taken by surprise by Mair's interview which consisted of "Who says!", cutting off his sentences, and ignoring his points of logic. I was baffled by the utter denial that "Support The Troops" is read by most people to mean support for the war.

Indeed, what does happen when police wear their opposing politics on their lapels at anti-war demonstration, perhaps in place of their ID numbers which some of them are so fond of leaving off? Wearing these "Support The Troops" badges, according to the police spokesman in terms reminiscent of something out of Kipling, does not compromise their independence, neither do previous badges supporting RUC widows and orphans, or the union flag itself which is "the symbol of our country". Some might question exactly who in this country the Union Jack represents: the policeman seemed to think it meant Her Majesty and all who sail in her.

Wrong-footed by Mair, I wish Chris had stuck to his strongest point which he only seemed to stumble across in the course of the interview: Fine, if the key issue is support for the troops and not the war, then will police on duty be allowed to support the troops by wearing Troops Out badges calling for our boys and girls to be brought back home to safety?

Burka Blue: Afghanistan's first female band

Over at Slacker Chic, Mrs M makes this extraordinary find: Afghanistan's only all-female musical group, The Burka Band.

It's amazing how art finds expression under the most oppressive circumstances. The music has a hypnotic almost dopey effect parodying the internal world these women are expected to have. "My burka it is blue". How safe is that? And yet ...

Strangely subversive. Brilliant.

UPDATE: CSM suspects this is a clever scamming work of satire by an equivalent of The Flying Lizards. I say print the legend.

Burka Blue: Afghanistan's first female band

Over at Slacker Chic, Mrs M makes this extraordinary find: Afghanistan's only all-female musical group, The Burka Band.

It's amazing how art finds expression under the most oppressive circumstances. The music has a hypnotic almost dopey effect parodying the internal world these women are expected to have. "My burka it is blue". How safe is that? And yet ...

Strangely subversive. Brilliant.

UPDATE: CSM suspects this is a clever scamming work of satire by an equivalent of The Flying Lizards. I say print the legend.

Heroes: Soldiers get the X-Factor

Is popular culture the highest form of expression which humans en masse can achieve? Or industrial product designed to plant false consciousness?

With the X-Factor finalists' video and single supporting British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, it looks like the cynics win. The government’s failing war propaganda has received a massive yuletide boost thanks to Simon Cowell and the release of his army advertorial in time for Baby Jesus’s birthday.

Shame the Three Magi didn’t have modern technology or they could have brought Him gold, frankincense, myrrh and a video knocked up by Pontius Pilate showing “our boys”, the Romans, and all their Good Works in Judea.

Hmm. What would Jesus do?

Dunno, but Irish site, Eirigi, has edited their own version of the X-Factor video with all the pertinent bits added — such as what soldiers actually do out there — just so you can make up your own mind (video above).

No doubt a gong awaits Cowell for services rendered to the Dark Forces.

Madam Miaow says ... Higher Trash is a thing of beauty, wonder, transcendence and joy. Then there’s the Lower Trash. Then there’s this ...




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Heroes: Soldiers get the X-Factor

Is popular culture the highest form of expression which humans en masse can achieve? Or industrial product designed to plant false consciousness?

With the X-Factor finalists' video and single supporting British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, it looks like the cynics win. The government’s failing war propaganda has received a massive yuletide boost thanks to Simon Cowell and the release of his army advertorial in time for Baby Jesus’s birthday.

Shame the Three Magi didn’t have modern technology or they could have brought Him gold, frankincense, myrrh and a video knocked up by Pontius Pilate showing “our boys”, the Romans, and all their Good Works in Judea.

Hmm. What would Jesus do?

Dunno, but Irish site, Eirigi, has edited their own version of the X-Factor video with all the pertinent bits added — such as what soldiers actually do out there — just so you can make up your own mind (video above).

No doubt a gong awaits Cowell for services rendered to the Dark Forces.

Madam Miaow says ... Higher Trash is a thing of beauty, wonder, transcendence and joy. Then there’s the Lower Trash. Then there’s this ...




Delicious